“As legislators consider new systems for voting, we have to question why some seem to support unsecure machines over the hand-marked paper ballots preferred by both voters and cybersecurity experts,” said Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo. “But of course, one of the leading vendors of these machines – ES&S – has deep ties to Georgia’s elected leaders. One of Governor* Kemp’s top aides is a former lobbyist for the company, and the ties do not stop there. Voters, regardless of party, are concerned about these connections already; they deserve to know why the integrity of our elections is being put at risk by those who are supposed to serve them.”

This is not the first time ES&S has exerted undue influence on elections officials or elected leaders in a state. A comprehensive look at their attempts to influence officials, as well as examples of times their machines have malfunctioned, can be found here.